Glass-veneered terra-cotta.



R. E. HUNN.

GLASS VENEERBD TERRA GOTTA.

APPLICATION FILED PEB` 1u, 191s.

1,1 19,852., PateutedDec. 1,1914.

ROBERT E. HUNN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

GLASS-VENEERED TERRA-GOTTA.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

Application mea February 1s, 1913. seriai'No. 749,169.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROBERT E. HUNN, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city and county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Glass-VeneeredyTerra- Cotta, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a building block or tile, and particularlypertains to glass ve! neered terra-cotta.

v It is the object of this invention to provide a building blcck ortile, as an article of manufacture, which is fire-proof and imperviousto moisture, cheap inconstruction and durable.

A further object is to provide Va block or tilewhich isparticularlyadapted foruse in constructing walls and partitions, andwhich does not require further treatment or the application of coatingmaterials, such as plas-y ter, cement, paint, or other finishes, whenset up. v

Another object is to provide a simple and effective means for attachinga glass facing to blocks formed of terra-cotta or other refractorymaterial, by means of which the blocks will be rendered ornamental andsuitable for use in finishing exterior walls, and which facing willrender the blocks waterproof.

The invention resides in a glass facing,

, corresponding 1n size and shape to the periphery of a terracottablock, to which it is to be attached, which glass facing is formed withrecesses on its back and with inwardly inclined flanges or ribs onopposite edges, which are adapted `to extend into grooves formed in thecorresponding edges of the terra-cotta block; said glass facingv andblock being secured together by a suitable cementitious materialinterposed therebetween, all of which will be more fully describedhereinafter, set forth in the appended claim and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which-- a Figure l is a perspective viewshowing a square flat block and a curved corner block, constructed inaccordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailsection on the line X-X of Fig. l.

In the drawings the terra-cotta block is indicated at A, and the glassfacing or veneer is represented at B.

The terra-cotta block may be of any desired shape, but it is here shownas having a rectangular periphery and formed with air spaces 2 extendinglongitudinally therethrough, as is common in the ordinary wellknownhollow terra-cotta blocks now commonly used in the construction ofpartition walls and the like.

lIn carrying out my invention, the terracotta block A is provided withangular recesses or grooves 3 on its front vertical edges. The recessesor grooves 3 are V-shaped and extend the length of the terra-cotta blockto form oEsets or shoulders aand b on the block at the juncture of theface of the block with its edges; the shoulders@ facing the sides of theblock being inclined rearwardly from the face of the block.

The glass jacket or facing B has an overall vdimension slightly greaterthan the overall dimension of the terra cotta, the inner face of thefacing being substantially the same size as the block, while the outerface extends beyond' the edges of the body of the block. This differencein size is to allow the edges of the adjacent facings to come very closetogether and at the same time leave sufficient space between the blocksfor the cement used in setting them up.

The facing B is formed with rearwardly projecting flanges 4 on itsvertical edges, which flanges are inclined inwardly to form grooves orchannels C on the inner sides. The flanges 4 and the channels C formedthereby preferably extend the full length of the facing B, and areadapted to extend into the grooves 3 on the terra-cotta block A, asshown.

Formed on the rear face of the glass jacket or facing B are a number ofrecesses or depressions 5 Which may or may not corre-` spond to anembossed or raised design with which the outer surface of the facing maybe embellished; the depressions 5 forming an uneven and irregularsurface on the back of the facing to facilitate its engagement by asuitable cementitious material with which the facing is secured to theblock A.

In the process of manufacturing the descent character and of anysuitable design and ornamentation. When cold, the block A and the facingB are taken and 4are prepared for assembling; the former being coated onits outer face with a suitable plastic or cementitious material withwhich the grooves 3 are filled; the back of the facing B and thechannels c being similarly coated with a like material after it has beencoated with pitch, tar, or other suitable substance to assist in theadhesion of the cement thereto. The facing B is then placed upon thecemented face of the block A and pressed thereagainst, the flanges Ll onthe plates eX- tending into the grooves 3 in such manner that when thecement hardens between the flange and the inclined shoulder a a key willbe formed which will serve to securely hold the facing against fallingaway from the block. The cement filling the recesses 5 in the back ofthe'facing on hardening serve to prevent the facing from being movedsidewise or endwise on the block, and also forms a backing for thefacing which serves the important function of preventing the glass fromcracking and falling off when subjected to heat. After the article hasbeen assembled as just described, theedges of the facing and block arecleaned of such cement as may have been crowded thereon, care beingtaken to remove some of the cement from the shoulders b to form a grooveZ adjacent the flanges 3 into which the cement employed in setting up awall of the blocks will extend to form a locking key; the setting upcement being placed only in the grooves d on the edges of the block sothat an air space, indicated at 6, will be formed therebehind. Thisenables the formation of an air space at the vertical joints of adjacentblocks to prevent the passage of moisture from the exterior to theinterior wall.

By constructing a block with a glass facing, as hereinbefore described,an article is produced which is durable, not liable to crack, and whichis tire-proof and impervious to moisture. It also possesses the combinedqualities of terra-cotta and glass, without the detrimental features ofeither; it being well known that a satisfactory terra-cotta block cannotbe formed owing to the shrinking and warping of the material when burnedwhich produces an article of uneven dimensions, possessing many irregu--larities and porosity, which precludes its use in facing finishedsurfaces where accuracy is desirable.

Glass blocks are unfit for building purposes on account of theirsusceptibility to fracture and liability of breaking when subjected tointense heat. By facing a terracotta block with a glass facing, whichcan be formed in sizes and shapes to suit, the

vitreous facing rilassa i block can be rendered uniform in dimensions,so that it can be utilized in building a water-proof finished Wall, andby backing the glass facing with cement the glass will be rendered proofagainst breaking if subjected to the action of intense heat; the cementand terra-cotta tending to keep the glass cool sothat the glass can notfall to pieces when heated, it having been found that the glass willmelt and run when sufficiently heated but will not crack and come od.rl`he glass facing renders this article of particular advantage for usein places where the outer surface is exposed to the action of theelements and where subjected to dampness. ift also forms a sanitarysurface by reason of its non-porosity and the readiness with which itlmay be kept clean.

In the foregoing description, I have referred to the block as formed ofterra-cotta and the facing as made of glass; but these members may beformed of other materials possessing the same qualities, as any suitablerefractory material can be used in making the block and any non-porousglazed material, such as porcelain may be employed in making the plate.

lllhe fire-proof tile or block A being porous and absorptive, absorbsthe moisture in the cementitious material employed and allows the latterto harden and adhere firmly to the block and facing.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

A device of the character described comprising a terra-cotta memberhaving under cut grooves at two of the front exterior angles, a vitreousfacing having a forward over-all dimension slightly greater than theover-all dimension of said terra-cotta member, with the edges of saidvitreous facing extending beyond and parallel to the edges oftheterra-cotta member, flanges on the and extending inwardly from .theforward edges'thereof to fcrm a wedge shaped recess, a shoulder adjacentsaid flange and determining said recess, and

plastic material between said terra-cottak member and said vitreousfacing.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing 11o witnesses.

ROBERT E. HUNN. Witnesses: l

JOHN H. HERRING, l/V. W. HEALEY.

